Can opener



C. A BUNKER Dec. 29, 1931.

CAN OPENER F11901 May 2 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 A TTUR/VEY c. A BUNKER Dec. 29, 1931.

CAN OPENER 2 Sheets-Sheet Filed May 20. 1925 A TTORNE V Patented Dec. 29, 1931 UNITED 's'r A'ras PAT ENT'I; orrlca CHARLES ARTHUR BUNKER, 01' KANSAS crrr, mssounr, nssrenon 'ro 31mm CLAN GEY MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, A OOBPOBATION OI MISSOURI Application fil ed Kay 20,

My innention relates to can openers and more particularly to a can opener thatis adapted to remove'the entire can end from the can. 7 5 It is a purpose of my invention to provide a can opener that is adapted to end from. the can, it being, whether said end is bottom end of the can. The important feature of the invention is that the can opener is-ada ted to cut through the end of the'oan entire y around the same wit out leaving a rough edge. This is accomplished by providing the can opener with means for tuming the cut edge of the can against the body portion of the can.

It is more specifically the purpose of m invention to prov1de a can opener having r tatable cutter and feeding members with 211 means for tn against the'body portion thereof, said cutter member being preferably provided with a groove adjacent the cutting edge thereof ,into which the edge of the can may be forced to allow the cutter to turn against the bod portion of the can.

. Itis another purpose of my invention to provide a can opener that cuts through the end portion of the can entirely around the same inwardly of the seam between the end and side wall instead of through the side wall of the can as has been previously done. .The seam thus serves as means for a smooth edge around the top 0 after the same has been cut. v b

It is also a purpose of my invention to provide a can opener that is adapted to grip the can; so that when the contents of the can is heated while in the can, the heated can is removed without touching the same with the hands, by opener, the can then opened therewith and the edge of the can at the open endjthereof gripped by means of my can opener to empty thesame. I v r Other objects and advantageshof the invention will ap ear as the descriptionof the accompanying rawings proceeds. However, I desireto have it distinctlyunderstood that the can I do not intend to limit'myself to theexact cut the can.

immaterial the capportion or the of a can and the opener in rning the cut'edge ofthe can the cut edge providing pivot openings in gripping the same with my can The shaft 18 also extends annular fiange or shoul er CAN OPENER 1920. min In. 116,422. Y

details shown or described, but that I intend 1 to include as part of my invention all an obvious changes and modifications of parts as would occur to a person skilled in this art and as would fall within the scope of the claims. 7

In the drawings: i Fig. 1 is a perspective view of myimproved can opener in closed position, showing the same in engagement with a can, the can being partly broken away; I

Fi 2 is a similar view showing the opposite slde of the can opener.

Fig. 3 is a view partly in elevation and partly in section, showin the upper portion 66 partly closed position prior to'complete penetration of the can top by, the cutting wheeL. I 1 Fig. 4. is a perspective view of the can opener, showing the parts thereof separated. 7

Fig. '5 is a section taken on theline 5--5 of Fi 1,'themembers being shown in partly close position as in Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view .partly in section ofvan opened-can showing the cut edge thereof turned against the can body.

. eferring in detail to the drawings:

My improved can opener comprises a pair of ate like me bers 11 which are substan-, tia 1y identical, each of which may be rm 'a'o vided with bottle decapping hooks 12. e 1 plates 11 are provided with openings 13 through which the pivot pins 14. extend, which may be in the form of rivets extending through the platesll and through suitable the ends of the-lever members-15 which terminate in handle portions 16.. The-lever members 115 are thus pivotally mounted between-the plates 11 on the pivot members 14. v

Each of the lever members 15 is provided with an-opening 17 and one of said openings receives the outwardly extending shaft portion 18 provided on the cutter member 19.

through one of the enlarged openings 20 ineach of the plates 11, there being a pair of such openings ineach of thesaid pl tes. The cutter member 19 is further provided with a 'de comprising an 21 that e against ,one of the plates 11 and with a bevelled cutter member 22 having the cutting members 15 are adapted to align with, the

openings 17in the, members 15, and the shaft portion 18 extends through an opening 20 of one plate 11, the opening 17 in one of the levers 15 and an opening 20 in the other plate 11. The shaft .18 is provided ,with a somewhat flattened or rectangular portion 26 forming a shoulder at 27 where said portion 26 joins the rounded portion of the shaft 18. The flattened portion 26, terminates in a rounded end 26 and a gear28- is mounted on the flattened portion-26 of the shaft 18 on the outer side of one of the plates 10, being provided with a rectangular opening 29 for receiving the flattened end 26 of the shaft. A crank handle member 37 which has a similar rectangular opening therein isalso passed over the flattened end 26. The gear and handle may secured to the flattened end of the shaft in any desired manner, as by riveting over the rounded end 26 of the shaft 18 against the washer 10.- A

Extending through the other opening 20 in each of the plates 11 and through the opening 17 in the other lever 15, is the shaft portion 30 extending outwardly from one side of the rotatable feeding lmember 31 which is provided with 'a roug enedperiphery 32.

' The outer face of the member 31 is m a plane approximately coincidental with the plane of the inner faceof the flange 21, and the inner face of the member 31 is in a plane spaced slightly from the plane of the outer face of the cuttingmember, to permit the feeding member to enter the space between the sloulder and cutting member when the cutting member penetrates the'lid of a can. A rectangular or flattened end portion 33 is provided on the shaft 30 defining a shoulder at 34 a inst which'.the gear 35 engages when the attened portion 33 of the shaft 30 is passed through the opening 36 therein,'which is substantially rectangularin shape. The

I gear 35 is held in position by riveting over the rounded projection 33 tened portion 33 against the washer 10'.

on the end of the flat- The handle 37- is provided with olitwardly deflected portions 39 to arrangethe extremihas 40 thereof outwardly from the plate 11 and the gears adjacent thereto so as to facili tate rotation of the same i l c When the can opener is to be operated the handles are spread so as to separate the cutter and feeding member 31 to allow the particularly the feed chime or bead of the can to be arranged between the feeder 31 and the reduced part 24 of the cutter. with the cutter located upon the inner side of the wall of the can. The-handles are then closed which causes the feeder wheel to engage the lower edge of the head or chime and to force the cutter into and through the top 41 of the can with the bead arranged between the feeder wheel and the reduced portion of the cutter wheel; this swinging of the cutter member 19 and feed member 31 toward each other, being permitted by virtue of the fact that the levers 15 pivot upon the pivot members 14, and are movable in the enlarged openings 20 in the 'plates 11. This will also cause the teeth on the gears 28 and 35 to mesh. After the can end 41 has been pierced, the cutter member is rotated by rotation of the lever 37, causing the cutter member and the .feed member to travel around the bead formed by the seam 42, the face 22' of the cutter member 19 turning the cut edge 43 of the can downwardly into and against the body of the can, the fact that the cutter is on the op osite'side' of the body from the'feeding meml er aiding in such action because the clamping action between the said members due to manipulation 'of the handles 16 will cause the cut edge 43 to be drawnagainst the inner side of the can body 44. The manner in which the cut edge ofthe can is turned down against the body portion of the can is shown clearly in Fig. 6, while the cutter is shown in the act of cutting through the can end 41 at the left of Fi 3.

In order to assure the cutter and fee 'ng members having the proper angular positions the can body. A hub projection 46 is also provided on the cutter member 19 to aid in the assembly thereof. The distance the cutting edge" 23 extends into the can is limited byengagement of the annular shoulder 21 with the annular shoulder 47 on the shaft 30.

- The hub 45*will'normally hold the device, wheel and cutting wheel, in proper cutting position, relative to the can. g It is important however, that the cutting wheel move forwardly in engagement with the inner face cutting the top so that the severed top portion at the rim side will be pressed downwardly against the'inner wall of the can. This result is normally obtained through the facttthat the feeder wheel engages the outer wall of the can and the lower edge of the chime, and is normallyretained only in sufficiently spaced relation with the cutting wheel to accommodate the can wall. Should there be, an excess of lost motiondue to inaccuracy in construction, wear or like causes,

of the can wall wlule the spacing between the cutting and feeding Wheels might be excessive. Enga ement of the outer face of the feeding whee with the inner face of the flange 21 in top cutting operation of the device will hold the cutting. wheel in desired engaged relation with the can wall and in proper spaced relation with thefeeding wheel to effect the desired result.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a can opener, a plate member, a pair of levers pivotally mounted on the plate member at spaced points and having handle portions, a cutter member rotatably mounted on one of the levers between the lever pivot point and handle portion, a feed member rotatably mounted on the other lever between the pivotal point and the handle portion thereof and in alignment with the cutter member and means for rotating the cutter and feeder members.

e 2. In a can opener, a plate member, a pair of levers pivotally mounted on the plate member at spaced points and having handle portions, a cutter member rotatably mounted on one-of the levers between the lever pivot point and handle portion, a feed member rotatably mounted on the other lever between the pivot point and the handle thereof and in alignment with the cutter member gears on the cutter and feeder members adapted for meshing when the handles are moved toward each other, and means for rotating one of the gears.

3. A can openerincluding a pair of pivoted levers having handle portions, a cutter member rotatably mounted on one of thelevers between the lever pivot point and handle portion, a disk rotatably mounted on the other lever between the pivotal point and the handle portion thereof, acombined guiding and supporting disk rigid with and spaced at its periphery from the cutter member to provide an intervening space to receive the can flange and the first mentioned disk and overlapping and contacting with the said first mentioned disk at the side thereof when in cutting position to prevent lateral displacement of the cutter member and the first mentioned disk, and means for rotating the cutter member. v

4. A can opener including a pair ofsupporting members having relative movement to open and close the can opener, a rotary cutter rotatably mounted on one of the said supporting members, a disk rotatably mounted on the other of said supporting members, said disk and rotary cutter being carried toward and from each other by the relative movement of the said supporting members, a combined guiding and supporting disk rigid with and spaced from the rotary cutter to provide an intervening spaceto receive the can flange and the said first men tioned disk, and overlapping and contacting with the said first mentioned disk at the 

